I am chasing a rough man in the 80s
Chapter 707, A Skilled Woman can’t Cook without Rice

Chapter 707: Chapter 707, A Skilled Woman can’t Cook without Rice

Just as Suizi and her husband had predicted.

Ge Mingyue was making a fuss out of every little thing, disturbing the peace of Chen’s parents’ household.

When Chen’s mother couldn’t raise the money, Chen Lijun and her two younger brothers were furious, warning anyone who dared to lend money to the old woman to expect retaliation from them.

Chen’s father was living in fear, on the verge of collapse from the stress Ge Mingyue was causing him.

Chen’s parents tried several times to visit Chen Lijun, but they were always stopped by Yu Jingting and his wife, and never got to see Lijun.

It wasn’t until Suizi encountered Chen’s mother while she was sunning her child that the mother burst into tears and begged Suizi to help, and Suizi agreed to take her to Lijun.

The old woman had learned her lesson — she knew not to take matters into her own hands in the future, but to consult with Lijun instead.

Seeing that it was the right time, Suizi started playing good cop and bad cop with Lijun, agreeing to help Chen’s mother deal with Ge Mingyue.

Once they dealt with Chen’s mother, they used the same strategy to deal with Chen Bin.

Suizi suggested that Yu Jingting should help to appease Ge Mingyue, but Chen Bin must promise to behave himself in the future — otherwise, their family wouldn’t intervene if Ge caused trouble again.

Badly shaken, Chen Bin was no longer the brash man he used to be. He listened to whatever Suizi said, like a deflated eggplant — head bobbing obediently in response.

Through this ordeal, Chen and his wife recognized the state of affairs and realized what the status of Suizi and her husband meant to the Fan family, and particularly to Lijun. Without their approval, the parents couldn’t even see their children.

Chen Bin no longer dared to look down upon Suizi and her husband as he used to.

Not only did he promise Suizi that he would pay more attention to his behavior, but also the next day, he sent Suizi an antique vase as a gift, clearly intending to please her.

This experience helped Suizi understand a profound truth.

Her grandfather was a bit of a glutton for punishment—as soon as she backed off, he pushed forward, and when she scolded him, he behaved himself unexpectedly well.

To hold her ground in such a complex family, it was not enough to be virtuous — and in fact, being too good-hearted could be viewed as a weakness to be taken advantage of. Being a bit tougher, on the other hand, could keep people from provoking her.

Suizi planned to test his discipline after a while by introducing a beautiful woman to him.

If the old gentleman learned his lesson and behaved himself, then Suizi would forgive him.

If he didn’t change, unfortunately, his spacious house that boasted a view of the flag-raising ceremony in the city would get a new owner — the Yu family.

Yu Jingting’s Yu.

Seeing how Suizi and her husband had effortlessly resolved Lijun’s family issues, Chen Lijun had a new appreciation for her daughter’s skills.

Suizi earned Chen Lijun’s acknowledgement and respect through her abilities.

Remembering Suizi’s words to her at the hospital, Chen Lijun also started to reflect on her own behavior.

One day when Suizi and her husband were not at home, Chen Lijun asked Fan Huang.

"Do you think I may underestimate our daughter’s character?"

"You just realized?" fan Huang replied as he peeled a radish.

To coax Lijun to eat radishes, he carved them into little rabbits. There were already several cute radish rabbits on the plate.

"You’ve been unnecessarily worrying yourself. You’re always worried that Suizi is too naive, or maybe in your mind, Suizi is still a little girl. But ask those who have been outmaneuvered by her—do they think Suizi is naive?"

Fan Huang thought of his cousins, who were of the same generation as Suizi. Which of them didn’t have to behave respectfully in front of Suizi and her husband?

Even the prickly Fan Ze, had to stand up and light a cigarette with both hands when he saw Jingting.

All of this was earned through the efforts of Suizi and her husband.

"I reconsidered, Suizi did make sense. There needs to be caution towards known issues and optimism towards the unknown. Therefore, I won’t make it difficult for them - let Jingting start his own business."

Upon hearing Chen Lijun’s words, Fan Huang’s hands trembled, ruthlessly beheading the carrot bunny in his grip.

"Are you surprised to that extent?" Chen Lijun was embarrassed.

"Our maiden really is capable, making you say such words, I really am living to see this day..."

In Fan Huang’s impression, Lijun seldom self-reflects. The fact that Suizi could make Chen Lijun voice such progressive thoughts showed that she truly was talented.

"Stop sweet-talking me and help me think of a solution. Originally, I had wanted to use the Wireless Factory to test them, but now suddenly saying there’s no need for a test puts me in an awkward position."

Chen Lijun had now changed her thoughts. She agreed with what Suizi said and also intended to respect Yu Jingting’s choice of starting a business.

However, she was a little embarrassed, not knowing how to revoke the wager with Suizi about reviving the Wireless Factory in two months.

In her impression, Yu Jingting and Suizi would never be able to make a profit within two months.

"If you talk about a solution, there’s no need to search for one. We are all family. A few words can clarify everything without needing to struggle like enemies. Nevertheless, I feel that you don’t need to take back the wager. Jingting and them might be able to make a profit within two months."

"How is that possible? That Wireless Factory has already been messed up by your third brother. I proposed that wager to place Suizi in a difficult position- why not secretly give Suizi some money as starting capital and do not mention that it is from me."

Chen Lijun now wanted to help her daughter but feared becoming a laughingstock for her, so she planned to help her discreetly.

Fan Huang laughed; his wife’s progress was indeed remarkable.

"Don’t just laugh. Later on, look into the progress, how the children have been doing. We don’t want this to leave a psychological scar..."

"That kind of talk, you should say that in front of Suizi, our maiden will be happy to hear that."

"That’s so cheesy... I’ll try next time." Chen Lijun uncomfortably touched her belly, she too was infected by Suizi’s sentimentality.

But this feeling... was not unpleasant.

At this moment, Suizi was standing under the blazing sun, wearing a straw hat and quickly moving beads on an abacus in the dilapidated Wireless Factory.

Jingting who was sitting beside her also wore a straw hat, had set up a barbecue stove, and was starting a fire with a few children.

"It’s impossible to resume work; the costs are too high, with inventory being distributed in the market, personnel expenses..."

Suizi paced as she spoke, calculating continuously on the abacus to no avail.

The young couple both had the ability to calculate profits. Whenever they had free time, they would stroll around various shops, calculating the turnover based on foot traffic, subtracting cost of goods, expenses such as rent, utilities, and wages, alongside external factors like bad weather, to determine the profit.

Standing in the market, by counting on their fingers, they could estimate the monthly profits of a business.

Suizi had surveyed the Wireless Factory multiple times, but each time, she was blown away.

The beer factory initially handed over to Yu Jingting was already nearly bankrupt, yet compared to it, the current Wireless Factory was far worse.

When the beer factory was handed over to Jingting, there were still employees, machinery, and equipment.

The Wireless Factory was truly hollow. There was nothing inside. Even the basketball hoop on the factory’s vacant land had been taken away by the scrap collector.

The factory building was empty, with rubbish everywhere, and the windows had been stripped away.

It seemed fine in the daylight but at night, it was like a haunted house.

Without any workers or machinery, only a large area filled with trash was left. The popular saying goes ’Even the cleverest housewife can’t cook a meal without rice’, but Suizi and her husband found a solution.